County’s household median income is 4.6 percent higher than the state’s ♦

Tooele County households have a higher median income, but less people with a college education than other counties in the state, according to a new national survey.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey released last month features new data based on monthly surveys of households across the nation conducted during a five-year period from January 2011 to December 2015.

According to the survey, the median household income in Tooele County is $63,552, which is 4.6 percent higher than the state median household income of $60,727.

A household consists of all the people who occupy a housing unit, according to the Census Bureau. The average household size in Tooele County is 3.25 people.

Statewide the average household size is 3.15.

Individual workers who live in Tooele County bring home median earnings of $35,051 annually, compared to $27,457 median earnings for workers statewide, according to the survey.

Almost half — 42.9 percent — of those workers travel outside Tooele County to work. Statewide 16.8 percent of workers find work outside of the county where they live.

The industry sector that employs the most people who live in Tooele County includes education, healthcare and social assistance. A total of 4,709 people in the county, or 17.9 percent of the county’s workforce, find employment in this category, the survey states.

When it comes to education, Tooele County has a higher percentage of high school graduates, but a lower percentage of four-year college graduates, according to the survey.

Statewide 91.2 percent of the population over 25 are high school graduates compared to Tooele County’s 92.4 percent of high school graduates.

However, only 24.1 percent of the county’s residents over the age of 25 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher while 33.1 percent of the statewide population holds at least a bachelor’s degree.

Agewise, Tooele County is one of the younger counties in Utah. Its average age of 30.7 ranks 20 out of the state’s 29 counties, the survey states.

Family households are households that consist of the householder and at least one other person who is related by birth, marriage or adoption to the householder, according to the Census Bureau.

Tooele County has a higher percentage of family households than is found statewide or nationwide, according to the survey.

In Tooele County, 79.7 percent of all households fit the Census Bureau definition of a family household, compared to 75 percent statewide and 66.1 percent nationwide.

Marriage is also popular in Tooele County with 64.9 percent of the county’s households with a married couple compared to 61.2 percent in Utah and 48.3 percent nationwide, the survey shows.

Looking at housing instead of households, 52 percent of housing units in Tooele County were built in the 20 years between 1990 and 2009, according to the survey.

People who live in 800 — or 4.3 percent — of Tooele County’s housing units have no vehicle available to them for transportation while 6,239 — or 33.5 percent — of the county’s housing units have three or more vehicles.

The median value of a owner occupied home in Tooele County was $177,700 with the homeowner paying a median mortgage of $1,304 monthly, according to the survey. Statewide the median home was worth $215,900. The median monthly mortgage was $1,428 statewide.

The American Community Survey replaced the long form decennial census form starting with the 2000 U.S. Census. It provides demographic data that is used by federal, state and local governments for planning purposes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The 2015 five-year ACS contains the most reliable demographic data the U.S. Census Bureau provides on Tooele County, according to the Census Bureau.

Tim covers education, Tooele City government, business, real estate, politics and the state Legislature. He became a journalist after a long career as an executive with the Boy Scouts of America. Tim is a native of Washington state and a graduate of Central Washington University.

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